


Requiem

by ClockworkSeraph



Series: Requiem Aeternam [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: AU Where Gabriel died to protect Jack, Angel Mythos, How Do I Tag This, I have no excuse for this please take it and suffer with me, M/M, Medical Experimentation, Wistful!Jack, and Far too much Musical Inspiration, monster!reaper, oh my
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-07 09:54:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7710607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClockworkSeraph/pseuds/ClockworkSeraph
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel was not going to let them take Jack away, even if it meant he had to die to do it.</p><p>But that doesn't stop him from raising holy hell on those responsible for even trying it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Requiem

**Author's Note:**

> Angst Cannons, locked and loaded!
> 
> This is an AU, Yet still somewhat cannon, where Gabriel, who discovered a corrupt plot, and dies to save Jack. Jack thinks Gabriel is dead, and went into hiding. His Team knows his real identity, but everyone else believes Jack died in the blast as well, killed by a jealous Gabriel.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel only smiled, eyes cold as ice when the explosives ripped through the HQ, the emergency alarms sounding like a thousand horns as the ceiling caved in.
> 
> “Proceed against the bastards and send them one against the other that they may destroy each other in battle: for length of days shall they not have."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my version of Overwatch Lore, where I had a plot bunny that Gabriel died to SAVE Jack, not kill him
> 
> Plus I just have a weakness for undying love and all that sap. Feeds my Dying soul and whatnot.

Impaled on molten steel and pinned on his back under crumbling concrete, Gabriel knew he was dying, trapped in this tomb of ruins. A cough rattling his flooded lungs, the soldier felt no more pain, his cooling body soaked in his blood. His sight was blurring, the faint screams of other victims were dull in his head.

His one comfort was the knowledge that Jack had been spared. Lips curled into a smile, Gabriel laughed wetly, knowing he had outsmarted _them_. Unhappy with Overwatch’s brightness, _they_ had intended on wiping out its source, Strike Commander Jack Morrison. Gabriel had held no bitterness for Jack’s promotion, only hatred for the command that saw him as a puppet, something to _break_ instead of recognizing the competent leader that Jack was, a toy to throw away when done with. The boy was too kindhearted, too insistent on justice to heed Gabriel’s warnings, and they had fought bitterly one evening, as threats to dismantle Overwatch loomed. They had made up, later, and as Gabriel pressed gentle kisses along his lover’s neck, he _knew_.

A meeting was to be held the next day to discuss the threats, and Jack was afraid. Not for his own skin, no, but for this ragtag group of heros he commanded. They were family, he had told him, safe in Gabriel's arms. They depended on him, and Jack was afraid to let them down.

Jack admitted he was worried for Gabriel as well. He had heard the whispers, too.

So when, Ave Maria, Jack had a migraine that very day, Gabriel had placed a special tranquilizer into the drink he gave the blonde, knocking him out solid before giving him to trusted allies to take to safety, and had taken his place that night at the meeting, citing that Jack felt unwell. The usual whispers abounded, how Jack had been fine at training that day until Gabriel had been seen talking to him, how _jealous_ Gabriel Reyes must have been about Jack Morrison, and how Gabriel was just seducing Jack, trying to overthrow him to become strike commander.

His Abuela had told him once, running a hand through his thick curls, that he had been named after the Archangel.

_You were a sickly child, Nino. Your mother, bless her spirit, had given her last strength for you to live. She gave you your name in her last breaths, in hopes you would always find strength in goodness to survive your struggles, and to protect those important to you._

Gabriel only smiled, eyes cold as ice, when the explosives ripped through the HQ, the emergency alarms sounding like a thousand horns of heaven as the ceiling caved in.

_“Proceed against the bastards and send them one against the other that they may destroy each other in battle: for length of days shall they not have."_

Gabriel was only sorry about the pain he would no doubt cause Jack. Those pretty blue eyes of his reminded him of the California sky, vast and warm, rain so rarely crossing them.

A laugh rasped in his slit throat, a gurgle as blood dripped over his lips. How dark, it was, to be waxing poetic as one lay dying. Super soldier or not, no way he was going to get out of this one, was he?

He had made peace with that, from the moment he set everything into place.

Or so he thought.

 _‘What will happen to Jack now?'_ A small voice in him had whispered. _'You may have saved him this time, but they will not stop looking for him.'_

Gabriel frowned. He had left specific instructions in letters he sent with Jack. Every favor he was owed was called in.

_‘But nobody can protect him like you can, Gabriel.’_

Maybe it was his oxygen deprived brain, or were those flames talking to him?

_‘Didn’t you want to protect him, Gabriel?’_

An image burned into his brain, of a bloodied and bruised Jack and Gabriel _growled_.

This was ridiculous. If it wasn’t for that serum trying to heal him, he would have been dead by now. But with the damage he sustained, his body was stuck in a losing battle with itself, and the hallucinations were not making it any easier.

But it was true, and closing his eyes with a final breath, a sharp pain blossomed in his chest, strange and unusual and burning just as the last wisps of life left his body.

Then he saw light, and remembered.

_He didn’t want to die._

Not yet.

He wanted to protect Jack, his naive farm boy, all sun and hope and goodness, from the filthy hands of the world.

He saw fire, and _knew_.

That no matter what the cost was, that sun was his, and he would never let it go out. Just as they had tried to be, he would be Judge, Jury, and Executioner.

Archangel Gabriel, the Angel of Vengeance, Messenger of Death and the Reaper of those who would Sin.

With a sharp gasp, his eyes snapped open as he felt breath filling his bleeding lungs, body full of searing pain but _alive_ , and full of _power_.

Dissolving into mist, Gabriel knew he was no longer bound to human rules, and more than ever he knew his purpose, a snarling cackle rough in his throat as he disappeared into the night.

“IT IS DONE.”


	2. Veil of Elysium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It had been twenty years to the day, now, when a datapad was placed in his hands, looping the same video over and over, the memory burned into his brain. It was if Jack had been there, stench of blood thick in his nose, heat of flames on his skin and screams echoing in his ear.
> 
> His Gabriel was gone, and had taken down Overwatch with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, still getting the hang of this, but I think I finally know where I want to go with this AU! Kudos and comments are much obliged though to help this rusty girl get better at not murdering any character she gets her hands on as she feeds this rabid plot bunny, especially on how to tag properly.
> 
> Title comes from the song 'Veil of Elysium,' from Kamelot, as it, particularly the Acoustic version, reminds me of Jack.

_**“Subjects vitals stable. Initiating Project Divinity...”** _

_Gabriel hissed, drooling past the thick leather strap that gagged him, wrenching his mouth open and holding down his tongue so he couldn’t speak. Bright light blinded him as he struggled against his shackles and restraints, skin torn bloody and raw as he tried to escape the strange, bird faced people that hovered over him. Their voices were high pitched and in an unknown language, holding him down to stab in needles, hooking him up to a strange machine that fed black liquid into his body to dull his senses._

_They were cutting him open, from his navel up to his chest, the incision splitting over his shoulders. He felt cold and burning all at once as the Birds dug elbow deep into him, chattering and cooing as they pulled organs out of him, his blood pooling around him to waterfall to the floor._

_**“Loading…”** _

_Jack was on the slab next to him, naked and drugged, eyes glassy and staring at Gabriel accusingly as another Bird sliced him open in the same way. Rage filled Gabriel as he struggled against his restraints, more Birds swarming to hold him down._

_**“Loading complete.”** _

_He could feel his body changing, breath stopping as a bolt of pain shot up his spine, again and again as the heart monitor spiked and flatlined._

_**“Project Divinity Online.”** _

Shooting upright with a silent scream, Gabriel’s breath strangled in his throat, his eyes running wild over his body, hands running over his chest.

Nothing.

Tearing the blanket off the bed, he turned to the man next to him, yanking up Jack’s shirt with a hitched breath, running his broad hand over the blond’s pale, unscarred skin.

“Gabe? I would have thought the three times last night would’ve been enough to at least last you till morning.” Jack’s amused voice and bleary blue eyes stabled him, and he exhaled sharply. “...Gabriel?” Jack’s brow furrowed, looking at the sweating, pained face of his lover, and tugged Gabriel down to lay back next to him, pressing kisses to the silent man’s cheek and cocooning them both back into the blankets. “What happened?”

“Nothing, Corazon. Just a bad dream. Go back to sleep, we’ve got a marathon waiting soon enough.” Wrapping a strong arm around Jack’s waist to pull him closer as the blond groaned, Gabriel couldn’t fall asleep again, even as Jack’s breath soon evened out again, head resting on his chest.

A nightmare, that was all. He was intact, with Jack safe at his side.

Just a bad dream.

A side effect of the serums they were given that day, probably.

_Nothing to worry about..._

 

 

“You’re just a bad dream, that’s all!”

He could smell the fear rolling off the old man in front of him, thick and heady as the man raised a shaking gun to his face, eyes wide. Licking his lips, Reaper walked towards the man, chuckling as he drew his shotguns, pointing them at his target.

“Maybe I’m your conscience, instead.”

Giovanni Turofulco. A doctor, part of the Super Soldier Program who had served at the same base that he once had. A man, who had pledged to serve and heal, only to use the soldiers as lab rats for his own pleasure. And now was hiding away in this hospital, pretending to heal while taking advantage of the needy in a den of sin. Truly a soul to judge unfit for paradise.

“Go to Hell!”

A spray of bullets tore through him, again and again punching gaping holes through him, his shotguns falling to the floor as his hands were blown off, dissolving into smoke. Even when his mask shattered, Reaper did not move, nor tried to dodge, and soon the man’s gun clicked empty. Smoke gathered around him as he began to laugh, knitting torn flesh and muscle back together, gathering on the bloody stumps of his arms, growing to form monstrous claws as he walked slowly toward his prey. The man dropped the gun, sliding down the wall, hypnotized by burning red eyes to only be able to gaze into familiar face of his killer. As it’s face split open in a sneer, rows of jagged teeth in a mouth too wide to have been human snapped inches from his face, dripping red.

“You know _nothing_ of Hell, Doctor.”

-*-*-*-

“Over a hundred civilians are expected to count among the dead, hundreds more injured in the wake of another explosion, based at a Charity hospital in Mumbai. Among the dead were noted doctor Giovanni Turofulco, honored for his dedicated work and compassion-”

With a low growl, Jack nearly chucked the remote at the tv, instead settling for jamming a thumb on the power button to cease the incessant chaos being streamed into his face. Just because he couldn’t sleep didn’t mean that he had to wake up everyone else in the whole base.

Twenty years.

For _twenty fucking years_ he has lived as a vigilante, watching as darkness and chaos spread across the world, corrupting anything it lays its fingers on, each day worst then the last.

And unable to do anything about it, those twenty years have weighed on him like a hundred.

Running a hand over his scarred face with a silent sigh, the old soldier grunted as he got up from the couch, padding silently to the kitchen. Rifling through the cupboards, Jack picked a plain black mug from amongst the many colorful ones, setting it down before rifling again for a sachet of instant coffee, setting a kettle on the stove to heat.

Twenty years on the run with a ragtag bunch of misfits, no longer wanted by the world, ever since the day where his world had literally come crashing down.

Turning off the heat just before the kettle whistled, Jack stirred the brown granules into his mugful of hot water, watching them dissolve before adding a splash of cream.

But Time was indifferent to human suffering, and the war had raged on.

It had been a month, now, since Overwatch had returned, and while nowhere near the size it had been before, hope was hope, no matter how small. They were all family, and took care of each other.

He remembered something, from the movie they had all gathered to watch last night. A classic, Reinhardt had declared, amidst the groans of the younger set.

_Ohana means Family, and Family means nobody gets left behind...or forgotten._

Jack absentmindedly took a sip of his coffee, grimacing. He forgot the sugar. Eight sugar cubes plopped into the pale brew, each one helping to bringing up a memory.

_“Dios Mio, Morrison!” Gabriel spluttered, pushing the white cup back into Jack’s hand as the blond laughed. “That is not coffee.”_

_“Well, your fault for not reading the labels.”_

_“How can you drink this? It’s syrup!” Jack was near in tears from laughter at Gabriel’s reaction, handing him the other cup instead._

_“Just because I enjoy being with your strong, bitter ass doesn’t mean that I have to enjoy my coffee the same way.” Grinning at his partner, in combat and out, Jack sipped at his drink, rolling the creamy sweetness over his tongue as he watched Gabe chug his triple black espresso. Gabriel, while never failing to be up before dawn always alert and ready, could really be a right bastard even more than usual before he’s had his coffee. Jack was lost in thought as they strolled down the street, the autumn air cool and crisp. It remind him of home, and he never noticed the hand sneaking its way over to give the soldier’s ass a squeeze, lips on his ear in a purr._

_“If you wanted something that would go down easy, I’ve got a pretty good suggestion, Chico~” Jack had nearly choked on his straw, burning red as Gabriel had laughed at him before taking off running, Jack close behind._

It had been twenty years to the day, now, when a datapad was placed in his hands, looping the same video over and over, the memory burned into his brain. It was if Jack had been there, stench of blood thick in his nose, heat of flames on his skin and screams echoing in his ear as he blacked out.

His Gabriel was gone, and had taken down the old corrupted Overwatch with him.

It would be a week later, locked in his room and curled numb in his bed, before he had noticed the letter on his desk, smelling faintly of spices, and written in a familiar scrawl. It told of the plan to bring him down, and Jack could not stop the wet drops from falling onto the thick paper, smudging the ink on the final words.

_“Mi Sol, Mi Corazon...Te Amo, Jack.”_

It gave him will to fight again, to ensure Gabriel’s death did not go in vain.

A clock behind him startled the old soldier out of a reverie as it softly chimed out three times. Wiping his damp eyes with the back of a hand, Jack rose to wash out his mug, setting it back in the cabinet. Knowing at least a few would no doubt be starting to rise in a few hours for the mission briefing, he filled the kettle once more for the next person before turning to leave. Jack paused, briefly, as he spotted a bag on the counter,likely left over from the shopping trip the day before. Peering inside, the old soldier blinked, pulling out an apple. His family had owned an orchard, and running a thumb over the bright red skin, it brought him back. Looking back to the clock, Jack had an idea, rummaging through the cupboards, faintly smiling as he switched on the radio, a song softly playing as he started to carefully peel the bag of apples.

“One day I know we will meet again, in the shade of a life to die for…”


	3. Danse Macabre

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mission, as always, was supposed to have been simple. Get your shit and get out kinda deal. Small team, just Song, Shimada, McCree, and himself.
> 
> So of course, as always, things went to hell in the first ten minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to start by thanking everyone for the sweet comments and kudoes! Really helps keep a girl going!
> 
> A few notes!
> 
> I am a gigantic nerd for Dad!76. He and Gabriel just need to adopt the whole team, with Reinhardt and Ana as Team Grandparents.
> 
> Canon says that D.Va's MEKA used to run solo, so it made sense to me that the MEKA had AI of it's own still. Hana has bonded with hers, as encouraged by the Korean military, and even named it Tokki, Korean for Rabbit.
> 
> Of course, much like Jack I'm quite awful with foregin laguages, and have and will end up resorting to Google Translate, so I apologize if I've made errors!
> 
> Title is of course from the rather famous piece of classical music by Camille Saint-Saëns.

“How you holding up, Kid?” Jack begrudgingly thanked the SEP that allowed him to sprint miles over rocky terrain without tire, because it was coming in pretty handy at the moment. It also came in handy when you had to carry your heavy pulse rifle in one hand, and a overly caffeinated, sass-mouthed Korean girl with the other.

“Let me _down_! I’ll _pwn_ them!” An ineffective thump on his side made Jack sigh before hoisting Hana with a over his shoulder, earning him a squeal as he hurdled over some rubble.

The mission, as always, was supposed to have been simple. Get your shit and get out kinda deal. Small team, just Song, Shimada, McCree, and himself.

So of course, as always, things went to hell in the first ten minutes.

They had been been prepared for a team of human soldiers to guard the data. Not a team of human soldiers _and speed boosted omnics_.

Hana glared over Jack’s shoulder at the black garbed men chasing them. Only a few had been able to keep up, but they were still only human. Raising her blaster she gave a triumphant shriek as one went down, having eventually landed a lucky hit.

“That’s for Tokki, _Byung-shin-a_!”

“ _Language_ , Hana.” Years of being with Gabriel had at least given Jack the ability to understand when someone was swearing, even if he was absolute shit at understanding the exact _meanings_. Languages were never his strong point, and with a quirk of his lips, remembered Gabriel had taken advantage of that often.

“I DEMAND MY VENGEANCE!” Wincing, another anguished scream ringing in his ears told him one more enemy soldier was down, and by the sounds of it, shot in the knees. The kid wasn’t a horrible shot, but she was definitely a better aim in her Mech. They had been surrounded, and as a last ditch effort, Hana had blown up Tokki. Stunning the omnics long enough to slow them down for a well placed Deadeye from the cowboy to shoot at the machine’s boosters, the crippled omnics were then easy pickings for a Dragonstrike while Jack downloaded and send the files to Winston.

And of course right as they were about to leave, the entire place swarmed with fresh soldiers. Grabbing Hana before she could charge them, Jack ducked down through a nearby alley to avoid fire, groaning as static filled the commline. _Fuckin’ Jammers_.

“...No more caffeine for you right before missions.” Sliding around the corner into a dead end, they heard footsteps ringing off the stone walls not far behind. Hana had shifted so she was facing in the same direction Jack was, lounging lazily on the soldier’s shoulder. “Ready, Kid?”Jack muttered, eyeing Hana pit of the corner of his eye as she looked down at her gun, the pink rabbit keychain starting to blink steadily.

“Game on, _Appa_!” Letting his mask hide a quirk of his lips at what sounded like an affectionate term, Jack supposed it was better than the usual ‘Old Man’ jab. At least, he hoped. Just because he had white hair, didn’t mean he was that old. He was fifty, at most...after you took the serum into account, that is. Eh, po-tay-toe, po-ta-toe.

The pair spun around, hands and weapons in the air just as the soldiers rose their guns, fingers on the trigger. Hana’s smirk turned into a full grin as the pink rabbit started to blink rapidly.

“NERF THIS!”

Tokki dropped from the sky like a pink cannonball, landing onto the soldiers with a sickening crunch. Quickly pulling Hana behind him to avoid the splattering blood and organs, Jack blinked slowly behind his mask as the girl jumped down to run up and bounce with glee at her refurbished baby, the Mech wiggling its ‘ears’ and beeping. Shaking his head, Jack wiped spatters off his visor. It had been a clever plan, if not a bit crude. Maybe he’d let the kid have a soda once in awhile after all, if it kept her this optimistic. War was a dance, a waltz that spun you between Life and death until you were broken, in more ways then one, and the longer he could shield these kids from that, the better.

“Go help the others, Kid. I’ll finish up here.” It was a habit of his, from the early military days. Always be sure of a quick kill, and dispense mercy if it wasn’t, on friends and foes alike.

“D.Va, reporting back online!” Jack could hear the cheers from her fans as Hana suited up and brought her livestream back online, even over the MEKA’s boosters as the girl zipped away to give backup.

Turning to the mess behind him, Jack walked up to one of the bodies, grimacing as he nudged one of the broken corpses with his foot. Hana was young yet, and had a habit of treating battle like a game, but there was definitely no ‘respawn’ option for these guys.

Turning on his visor to read around for vitals, Jack was thankful they were all negative, and quickly shut it back off. He was starting to get a migraine again, and using his visor never helped. Quickly running out of patience with light and noise and just fighting in general, Jack sighed, hoisting his pulse rifle over his shoulder before turning away from the scene to try Comm again, his muttered curses dropping off as he noticed smoke emitting from the corpses, forming into glassy spheres with smoke of different shades and hues swirling inside.

Not believing his eyes, Jack removed his visor, still careful to leave his mask in place in case any more soldiers were around, crouching down to get a better look.

They were quite beautiful, and this one was a deep red, drawing him into a familiar lull, and was reminded him of a dream he had the last time he had a migraine.

One where Gabriel was alive.

He had confided in Angela, after, in what he had seen. The doctor had only smiled at him softly, almost sadly as she cleaned and rebandaged his wounds.

It was impossible, Jack knew. Angela herself had done the report.

_And he had read it a thousand times over._

Nothing left enough of the man he loved to even bury, just a pool of blood that matched Gabriel’s dna. Angela pressed a kiss to his bandaged forehead, and pressed a bottle of his requested sleeping pills into his hand.

A near silent sound behind him made his stomach drop, and Jack quickly grabbed his rifle, rolling to the side and replacing his visor in one smooth motion.

Barely dodging bullets that were aimed for his head, Jack grunted as they slammed into his side, shards of stone and scraping sand flying into his body from the spray. The soldier rapidly fired out at the direction of the oncoming assault as he scrambled for cover, rewarded with a chorus of screams.

His breath came ragged as he quickly ducked behind a wall, hand held over the wound to staunch the bleeding as more bullets embedded themselves where he had been seconds before. Cursing as he fumbled to reload, blood trickled into his aching eyes and smeared over his rifle. He really was getting old, if he was getting distracted by a probably-not-even-true memory of the most gorgeous eyes he’d ever seen. Switching on his visor to infrared revealed about twenty more soldiers, armed with full body kevlar and armor piercing guns. _Well Fuck_.

They were closing in on him, now. The wall wasn’t going to hold up much longer, and was starting to crack under the assault.

He wasn’t about to die without a fight. He owed Gabriel that much, at least.

Taking in a deep, shuddering, breath, Jack was about to go headlong into action to take as many as he could with him, darting into the open when he was thrown back to the ground in a swirl of sand, rapid bolts of lightning blinding his sight and a rumble long ringing into his head even as the dust settled.

Was he dreaming again? Or was he dead?

Every single enemy soldier was frozen in action, only to fall to the ground moments later with a smoking bullet wound between the eyes.

Jack tried to get up, biting back a yelp as sand dug itself into the wound on his side.

If he was dead, Death was an _ass._

And apparently wielded shotguns instead of a scythe, smoke curling from the barrels in front of them. The shadows from the figure’s hood fell on the familiar white mask in a way that looked almost amused.

“You always did have a twisted sense of heroics, _boy scout_.”

Between the pain and blood loss, Jack barely had time to register what was happened before the figure turned to him, throwing shotguns to the side to dissolve to smoke. Jack grasped for his rifle, only to be stopped by cold metal grasping his face and pricking feeling in his neck.

Next thing Jack knew, one clawed hand gently but firmly curled around his knees, another easing Jack’s head to rest on a broad, firm shoulder. Closing his aching eyes, the soldier was vaguely aware his visor had been removed, but was thankful his mask had been left alone. The body below him was almost heavenly cool, and Jack drowsed, a faintly familiar tune being hummed in his ear.

Surely there were worst ways to go, Jack thought, then being carried into the afterlife literally on Death’s shoulders.

 


	4. Memento Mori

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hundred of them had been chosen, for Project Divinity. Told that they were the top agents, the best of the best, the only ones trusted with giving peace back to the world, to save Overwatch.
> 
> But only four had survived.
> 
> Bodies modified, minds broken, driven to limits no human should have ever crossed, all in the name of _peace_ , the word now bitter on her tongue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had such a hard time with wording this chapter, I hope it's good...I'll try to make the next one better!
> 
> Thank you everyone for the support for my little fluffy plot bunny, all I had wanted to do was share my AU with everyone and I'm glad people like it!
> 
> Chapter Inspiration:
> 
> -"Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)" by Kamelot  
> -"Meadows of Heaven" by Nightwish  
> -Pretty much the entire album 'Memento Mori" by Darksun

The power flickered as the wind howled outside her window, breaking the silence of midnight at the Watchpoint.

Marking her place in the article she was reading, Angela rubbed her eyes, setting down the holopad as weak moonlight streamed through her window, shrouded by clouds as hard rain pelted the reinforced glass. She never could sleep on stormy nights, and was still awake long after the base had stilled.

Angela’s gaze slid over to the bed at her side, a soft sigh escaping her at the sight of Jack, finally stable, bandaged and bruised, but alive.

She had devoted her life to caring and healing, fighting for peace. When she was offered a place in Overwatch, it was almost a dream come true. And for many years, it was. Medical knowledge was rapidly expanded, discoveries made. More and more lives were saved every day, quality of life made better, and Peace was within grasp for humanity.

But with light...there is shadow.

Some made money off the deaths of civilians and soldiers alike. Some wanted to cheat death, to forever crush others in their grip. Others still, saw their grasp on the world shaken, having thrived in chaos and destruction.

And the larger the light, the larger the shadow.

Overwatch was shaken and slandered as rumors and secrets were spread, corruption slowly rotting the organization from the inside out, and Angela’s dream turned into a nightmare.

_They had been betrayed._

A hundred of them had been chosen, for Project Divinity. Told that they were the top agents, the best of the best, the only ones trusted with giving peace back to the world, to save Overwatch.

But only four had survived.

Bodies modified, minds broken, driven to limits no human should have ever crossed, all in the name of _peace_ , the word bitter now on her tongue.

Reaching over to clasp her hand over Jack’s, Angela felt so tired, tears clouding her vision. It had taken, even with her skills, hours to remove all the bullets from half healed flesh, to clean the sand and stone shards from the side wound. She still didn’t know what drugs he had been given, but it held him fast in a deep sleep, and no matter what she did, Jack wouldn't wake up.

_Crying, she was lying in bed, face down as pain shot down her bandaged back with every gasping breath. They had told her she was shot down during a mission, but something felt **so wrong**..._

_A sweet smell, her head raising to see her best friends crowding around her bed, hands all full of flowers._

_Jack, with his sunflowers, a bright smile wide on his face as he held them out to her._

_Reinhardt, the ferns and lilies of the valley near dwarfed in his still growing hands as he gave it to her with a booming laugh._

_Gabriel, as quiet as ever, handed her a bouquet of white roses as a small, rare smile quirked up his lips._

_She had stopped crying, smiling and clutching the bouquets to her chest as she sat up, the pain dulling already as they crowded the bed to hug her._

_Linked and trapped by the wills of power hungry men, they had promised to always be together, to protect each other._

_They had been happy, once._

“Please wake up soon, Jack…”

~*~*~*~

_A storm was coming, the air heavy with the promise of rain, bruised clouds rapidly filling the sky._

_He was standing alone in a field, tall grass waving softly in the breeze at his waist._

_There was a heavy weight on his back, the sound of rustling in his ears as he turned to hear a familiar voice call his name._

_A man with six wings, black as night and just as vast, Four covered the person’s face and body, the remaining two arched high and proud._

_The sky turned black, thunder in his ears as he strained to hear the whispers from those smiling lips._

_The wind picked up, and he felt the heaviness on his back lift up to protect him from the sudden rain._

_Wings of his own, shining softly golden._

_Those lips moved again, barely visible in flashes of lightning, hidden between inky pinions, voice lost on howling winds and booming thunder._

_Why couldn’t he hear? It was something important, he had to know what it was..._

_He ran towards the figure, as fast as he could, but just as he outstretched a hand, the earth started to shift and crumble, and as their eyes meet, the figure smiled and pushed him back before falling back into the gaping void._

_Eyes of liquid fire, full of pride and strength, but also hid a fierce devotion._

_Eyes that belonged to only one person._

_Gabriel._

 

 

It wasn’t fair, for it to end up like this. Reinhardt gently held down a thrashing Jack, glancing to his side as Angela filled a syringe with a golden liquid, her lips quivering but hands steady as it was pressed into Jack’s neck. The soldier had become trapped in a nightmare, screaming Gabriel's name over and over and it broke her heart.

“Why didn’t he tell us?”

Angela's tired voice broke with a sob as she looked down at the now sleeping Jack, the weight on her mind crushing her heart. Reinhardt sunk to his knees before her, clasping the doctor’s shaking shoulders in his hands.

“Gabriel knew what he was doing, Angela. He made his choices.”

“Why didn’t he come home? We mourned him! Jack…” The doctor could only gaze sadly at the downed soldier, biting her lip as Jack’s face reflected with whatever sad nightmare he was in. “It _changed him_ , Reinhardt.”

“I know, Fraulein.” Sighing, the knight pulled Angel into a hug. They had been so afraid, the first few years as they ran from country to country, seeking peace. Afraid that he would try to follow Gabriel to whatever dark Elysion awaited people like them. He had come back to them eventually, smiling and heroic, but never was the same. “Even being as different as night and day...they loved each other fiercely, especially after…” Reinhardt sighed, shaking his head.

The knight had heard stories, about that day. An entire secret military facility had reported a power outage at midnight, only to have been discovered razed to the ground by dawn. Only two people had survived; One, with only two bleeding gashes on his face, clutched in the arms of the other, one with cold eyes and a body covered in wounds both new and old. To this day the land was still considered dead, gas belching from the rocky, barren earth.

It was quickly covered up, but rumors flew fast. _Divine intervention_ , it was called. _Because they had tried to play God and create Angels for war_.

“Angela, we couldn’t have stopped him even if we had known what he was going to do.” Reinhardt was gentle, but firm in his words, lifting up the doctor’s chin so their eyes met. “Do not blame yourself. There is still time to fix this.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

He could hear Jack call his name, and what was left of his heart ached in his hollow chest.

Gabriel sat alone in the center of the dark room, dimly lit only by a single window and the hard light barrier that boxed him in. They had thrown him in here, suspicious and fearful of the stories they had heard, Jack whisked away to _her_.

There was only one doctor Gabriel ever trusted, and if anyone could heal Jack, it was Angela. It was probably only by her grace he was only locked up, and not blown to bits. Not that it would _work_ , but it would still _hurt_.

It would have been easy enough to simply wraith in, dropping Jack off before vanishing into the night.

To go back to reaping the unjust and corrupt, devouring their souls to feed his own form. To dwell in the past, lingering on old memories.

But a desperate pain grew in him, as he waltzed into Watchpoint Gibraltar, holding Jack in his arms under the shocked gaze of the new Overwatch Agents. It gnawed at him, when they had taken Jack from him and threw him in this cell, and he did not fight it.

Only a few more days, and it would have been 21 years.

21 long, lonely years.

Closing his eyes, he could see Jack, even in old age a powerful, charismatic figure, suited for the role he was chosen for, _groomed_ for.

They had met in SEP, becoming roommates, and then friends, finding camaraderie slowly as they endured together in the brutal environment, catching the eyes of favor from the high up, chosen to join Overwatch and bring honor to their country.

One night, as they were patching each other’s already healing wounds, they had started talking, and Jack was reminiscing about his family’s farm, how he had hoped to run it one day, and _oh how had he lit up_ , and Gabriel fell in love with the farmboy, all sunshine and hope in the bloody business they were in.

He had learned Jack’s middle name was Michael, and Gabriel had smiled, _of course_ it was, having visions of the Archangel from the stained glass windows of his youth, golden haired and wielding a flaming sword to vanquish the evils of the world, radiating a humble strength.

Footsteps stopped behind him, pausing his revery.

“It has been too long _, Mercy_.” Opening his eyes, Gabriel chuckled, removing his mask as he slowly turned to face his guests, eyes going first to the woman in white. The half revealed by the moonlight was the Gabriel she remembered, frozen in time. But in the shadows...fangs, sharp and many filled a smirk too wide to be human, reflected in the light given from too many eyes that burned like embers in the darkness. Smoke swirled around him, shifting in the dark with the sound of feathers rustling.

“Gabriel…?” Angela’s hands flew to her mouth, tears in her eyes as she stepped forward. “What happened to you?”

For twenty years they mourned the loss of this man, especially Jack, bitter and broken, lying in Thanatos’ grip. To have him suddenly appear...Breaking down, Angela would have fell to the floor if not for Reinhardt’s firm grip.

“Why did you never come home, to us?” The knight’s voice was steady, but his one good eye betrayed the emotions in his heart. “...It almost killed him, Gabriel.”

“They were going to kill him anyway, with that virus. Take his soul away and what would remain? The perfect soldier, obeying every whim of those bastards.” Gabriel’s body shook with fury, words spat out as smoke poured over his lips. "I reminded them that they were only _mortal_!"

“So you killed them?” Angela’s voice wavered, but stood firm, needing to hear Gabriel say it. She had seen the stories, investigated them, and had found they all had a common thread of having worked for the old Overwatch. If only she had pieced the puzzle together earlier...

_“They deserved it, for trying to play **God**!”_

Thunder boomed, echoing Gabriel’s roar, and as lightning briefly illuminated him, six jet black wings flared up defiantly behind him before the room was shrouded in shadows once more.

“Humans were never meant to be vessels for God Programs...We were the lucky ones, Angela.”

The room grew cold, Gabriel’s face serious and calm as the storm outside only grew stronger.

“Or should I say... _Raphael_?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	5. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They had lied to her, promising to save the world with her work, giving her funding and praise to continue her theories and research. But they twisted it too far, and Angela was too blind and far too late to stop it. A miraculous experiment, it would have proven that once and for all mortals could control their own destinies and fates, plans kept silent under pain of death, hushed whispers hidden behind rolls of bloody red tape and buried in hidden files.
> 
> Specially made God Programs were to be injected in the bodies of only the best soldiers, to mold them into ultimate weapons that could be sold to the highest bidder. Dubbed as ‘Angelus,’ the idea of tampering with one’s dna was against all morals, beyond thinkable to her that anyone could be so willing to cross the boundaries of humanity.
> 
> And they had used her research to do it. Her precious research, that she hoped could help millions heal, instead used to kill ninety-six innocent people...and send four more into hell. And that was sure more would have followed, if Gabriel hadn’t literally brought the house down on the program.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last, here we go again, Round 5! 
> 
> Maybe now we'll learn more about why Gabe is a ball of smoky Angst...
> 
> I want to thank everyone for all the wonderful comments I am far to shy to respond too directly, they mean a lot to me!
> 
> UnBeta'd as usual, so please pardon any mistakes, but I'd like to give special shout out to Ukenceto, who gave me JUST enough of a kickstart to my brain to continue this plot bunny.
> 
>  
> 
> Musical Inspiration:
> 
> "Lieder" by Eisbrecher  
> "Nightmare Theme" - Avenged Sevenfold  
> "7 Days to the Wolves" by Nightwish  
> "Living in a Nightmare" by Dark Moor  
> "Remnants" by Nox Arcana  
> "Crows Fly Black" by Tarot

“What _happened_   to you, Gabriel?” Shaking her head sadly, Angela knew the man she cared for was still there, _somewhere_ , under the fury and pain. As if she had flipped a switch, the wraith’s face twisted into anger, the wind howling as the storm outside only grew more powerful, the very building quaking as the power flickered, but somehow, stayed on. Slamming against the barrier with a snarl, sparks flew from Gabriel's claws, spiderweb cracks shooting along its surface mere inches from her face.

“You tell me, Doc.” Smoke poured from his lips, eyes blazing with fury as Gabriel shook, voice echoing thunder. Angela held her ground, yellow light enveloping her form as calm blue eyes met furious red ones.

“I didn’t know what they had planned, Gabriel. I promise you this.”

They had lied to her, promising to save the world with her work, giving her funding and praise to continue her theories and research. But they twisted it too far, and Angela was too blind and far too late to stop it. A miraculous experiment, it would have proven that once and for all mortals could control their own destinies and fates, plans kept silent under pain of death, hushed whispers hidden behind rolls of bloody red tape and buried in hidden files.

Specially made God Programs were to be injected in the bodies of only the best soldiers, to mold them into ultimate weapons that could be sold to the highest bidder. Dubbed as ‘ _Angelus_ ,’ the idea of tampering with one’s dna was against all morals, beyond thinkable to her that anyone could be so willing to cross the boundaries of humanity.

And they had used her research to do it. Her precious research, that she hoped could help millions heal, instead used to kill ninety-six innocent people...and send four more into hell. And that was sure more would have followed, if Gabriel hadn’t literally brought the house down on the program.

Nanobots carrying the _Angelus_ Programs were embedded into bone, muscle and brain, into the _very DNA_ of its host, morphing and changing in accordance to the body it inhabited, feeding off of the feelings and memories of each of the four of them. As they were gathered together in a blinding white room, aching and bleeding, they were told in cold, clinical words that they were the only ones that hadn’t mutilated, been driven madly to death...or worse. And that was only the beginning.

She still carried the scars. They all did, inside and out.

“They betrayed _all_ of us, Gabriel.” Reinhardt stepped forward, placing himself between the cage and Angela, a green light enveloping his large frame. “Angela is not to blame for what they made us suffer. You know this.” Another slam of the heavy spiked gauntlet, and larger cracks threaded through the barrier, smoke leaking through to curl around Reinhardt, turning the air cold and bitter.

“You know _shit_ of my suffering.” As his green eye met furious red ones, the knight sighed. Something was wrong, and brows furrowing, Reinhardt looked closer. Gabriel never was a naturally cheerful sort, and never opened up very much about before they all joined Overwatch, but to hold this much bitterness and anger after all these years had turned the man’s aura from a red hue, to this black smoke. Reinhardt was tired, _so very tired_ and it was time to get answers, rather than more questions. To _end this._

“Why did you do it alone, Gabriel. You could have come to us, and we could have worked _together_.” It would be many moments before Gabriel seemed to calm, pulling his anger to simmer in his eyes just beneath the surface of a expressionless face.

“Because by the time I found out...they had already infected him.”

~*~*~*~*

The holopad was sent flying across the room with a guttural snarl, breaking into a thousand pieces as it smashed onto the floor. Ignoring it, jaw set and eyes cold as his fingers curled into fists, Gabriel rushed through the underground tunnels of Watchpoint Zurich. With ease he navigated through the maze of steel and concrete, the few people he met jumping out of his way. One could have sworn, for just a moment, they saw a faint shadow of massive black wings flaring out behind the man, matching the fury in his face.

Gabriel quickly reached the medbay in his anger, storming through the front area to reach the rooms beyond. He didn’t worry about security, he had no reason too. He was Commander of Blackwatch, and had no problem pulling rank in this hellhole if they tried to stop him. Finding the right door and pushing it open, Gabriel struggled not to slam it shut, instead closing it softly behind him, locking it as he gazed over to the occupied bed.

“I told you I was fine, Gabe.” With an amused yet exasperated look on his face at the commotion outside his door, Jack shook his head, trying to sit up before wincing as the tubes stuck into him pulled at bruised skin. Gabriel’s face smoothed out with a sigh as he walked over to gently push Jack back down onto the bed before the blond pulled any of them out.

“ _Pinche baboso..._ ” Rubbing his face with a long suffering sigh, Gabriel looked down into those blue eyes he always loved, now strangely dull. “I’ve told you a _thousand times_ , Jack…” The blond rolled his eyes, before groaning and sinking back into the pillow, closing his eyes.

“I can’t let something like a migraine stop me from serving my duty, you know that. Besides, Angela already chewed me out, I really don’t want it from you, too.” Gabriel frowned, recalling the message. He had been undercover for the past week, and only had just gotten Angela’s message of what had happened, and Gabriel near jumped out of the helicopter five stories above ground to get to Jack. He would have survived, of course, perfectly unharmed, but Gabriel figured he didn’t need to scar McCree any more then the kid had already been.

“You need to stop being a fuckin’ boy scout. They pulled twenty-three bullets from your sorry ass when you ran out from cover to pull your stunt.”

“I’ve had worse lodged in there.” Waving weakly in Gabriel’s direction, Jack chuckled, dissolving into a coughing fit, grasping for the glass of water on the table beside him. Sighing, Gabriel took it and gently held it to Jack’s lips, twining calloused fingers in the soft hair of his lover as he held him up, thoughts scrambling in his head as he gazed over the bandages wrapped around Jack’s body underneath the thin gown.

Four cracked ribs, twenty bullet wounds, numerous lacerations, torn muscles, punctured lungs, a concussion, a dislocated knee. Nothing Angela couldn’t fix, except…

Angela didn’t trust the Watchpoint’s medical staff, and neither did Gabriel. Not that he could blame her, after what happened. So, every time they got hurt, she took it upon herself to patch them up, nigh, _demanded_ it. But this time, by the time she learned of Jack’s injury, rushing into surgery, they were already stitching Jack up.

And ever since the surgery, Jack had suffered from a constant headache, sometime easy to deal with, but also sometimes a powerful throbbing enough to bring the Strike Commander to his knees as soon as he was alone, forever unwilling to show weakness to the sharks that surrounded him. Angela, when she had come to check him over after the first of many of the debilitating pulses, had been stumped, nothing showing on a scan. She had asked him if he was taking any new medication, but Jack, brows furrowing in confusion, had replied no, nothing besides his usual migraine medication that she herself had given him when they first joined Overwatch, but he had been increasing the dosage because it wasn’t working as well.

Setting the water back onto the table, Gabriel sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed as Jack groaned and settled back, pale and clammy. Something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t place his finger on it. Jack was never this groggy after surgery, hell, things like caffeine and alcohol were erased from their systems as soon as they ingested it. An effect of the Divinity serum, they were told. Nothing could affect them now, in terms of a biological attack, but Gabriel wished he could at least get drunk once in awhile.

The next day, Jack was fine, the perfect Strike Commander, all smiles and perfect poise at a conference, not a bruise or cut to be seen as he charmed his superiors. But Gabriel saw it. The set of the corner of his jaw, the barest hint of dullness in those blue eyes...Jack was suffering, the pain in his head now constant and repetitive, like it was a only the eraser of a pencil being shoved into his skull, and not the sharp end. And later that night, as Gabriel trailed his lips down that pale neck, he could feel Jack’s pulse, erratic and fluttering one minute, slow and sluggish the next.

It was only weeks later that later Gabriel had learned of what those bastards had done.

Jack had woken him one night with a scream, the blond clutching his head, a broken sob wrenched from his dry throat as Gabriel gathered him in his arms, pressing kisses all over his burning brow as he sent a message to Angela through their personal commlink. Gabriel ran through the halls, feet barely touching the ground as he made his way to Angela, Jack in his arms, burning as his lips mumbled something Gabriel in a language could not understand, over and over as if it was a prayer, eyes rolling back in his head.

He had investigated, after that, using all elements at his command to find out who performed the operation, leading to a hospital in Madrid. The doctor had babbled everything Gabriel needed to know in a vain effort to live, his sneering facade dropping as soon as he had a shotgun to his temple. About the virus they had implanted in Jack, how they caused the headaches that were supposed to drive him into madness, to dull his mind and make him easier to control. It was almost laughably pitiful just how much the man begged to be let go, claiming to be not but a pawn, but as the memory of Jack’s screams rang through his ears, Gabriel snarled, a strange, warm feeling of satisfaction coiling in his gut as he emptied an entire clip into the shredded corpse before setting the entire Hospital ablaze, the explosion large enough to remove all trace it was ever there.

And as he sat on his cot back at the base, Gabriel gazed at the bloody papers in his hands, doors locked to even Jack’s worried voice, a plan forming in his head.

Holding a lighter to the papers, Gabriel watched with a soft smile as they fell as ash onto his sheets, and rising to unlock his door, gathered the fussing blond into his arms, pressing soft kisses where Jack’s clothes once covered, now tossed to the floor with abandon. Gabriel’s soon followed, and as he claimed Jack as his for what he knew was going to be the last time, was slow and sweet, voice peppering sweet words in the blond’s ear.

The next afternoon, after Gabriel had carried him back after training, made Jack a special drink, as he did when the man had gotten migraines before. He remembered it from his childhood, his Abuela handing him the chipped earthenware mug, warm and comforting whenever he was ill. Rich chocolate, mixed with peppers and spices, Gabriel made sure to add extra cream and sugar, smiling as he remembered also how his sunshine prefered his coffee. But this time, there was an extra ingredient, and as Gabriel slowly poured in the golden hued liquid, prayed that perhaps, one day, Jack would forgive him for this.

The mug in hand, Gabriel walked into the room where the blond lay groaning on his bed, and keeping his voice soothing and spreading a smile on his face, knew his plan was being set in motion, and there was no going back now.

It is for your own good, Jack...

_“I wouldn’t move too much if I were you, Amigo…”_

~*~*~*~*~*~

Gabriel was brought out of his revery as Angela punched the wall beside her, the steel buckling as she fumed. A smirk tugged at his lips; Mercy was far from as helpless as others usually assumed, _particularly_ if one of her patients were threatened. Being Jack, Angela’s rage was _tenfold_.

“I _knew_ they did something to him…” In an uncharistic growl, Angela spewed off what could only have been curses in rapid fire German, if Reinhardt’s surprised face was any indication. “Hippocratic oath _Mein Arsche_!”

“Jack had no memory of the Angelus program when he woke...nor did he seem to suffer from his headaches. And per your request, we have not mentioned either to him.” Reinhardt slowly tried to piece the strange puzzle together, gazing on the man in black before him. “Gabriel...what did you…?” Breathing deep, Gabriel exhaled smoke, the storm picking up once more.

“Even destroying the servers was not enough. Humans are not linked to them as Omnics are, and there was no cure, for what they had done to us... _to Jack_. I could not remove the virus entirely, only quarantine it. But, in order to wipe it from Jack..." Leaning forward to press both claws at the barrier, Gabriel chuckled darkly, eyes too wide and bright, and teeth too numerous and sharp.

“I gladly infected it upon myself.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
